Halo: Prism Crisis
by D.Doberman
Summary: When the UNSC find Installation 06, they send an ODST team down, and they find things that probably shouldn't be there. What was supposed to be destroy-and-leave, they now must protect it with their lives.. Notes: Contains swearing, in 1st person.
1. Chapter 1

**Halo: Prism Crisis**

**By D.Doberman**

**Chapter One**

**0300 Hours, April 23, 2554 (Military Calendar)/**

**Slipstream Space – Aboard the UNSC Flotsam**

**Unknown Coordinates near Taut Nui System**

**First Class Lieutenant Jakob Downs**

The _UNSC Flotsam _and her sister ship _Jetsam_ moved silently but quickly through Slipstream Space. Both were fast Corvette-class ships in the United Navy Space Command, and both were filled to the brim with weapons.

The entire crews of both the ships were asleep in cryogenic tubes; including me, First Class Lieutenant Jakob Downs, squad leader of the 242nd Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Division. I was in cryo-sleep on the _Flotsam_; well that is, until the ship's onboard computers in the cryo-bay woke me up.

I flinched as the IV and catheter were carefully withdrawn from me and the computer opened the tube's curved, clear plastic lid. Sitting up, I grimaced before swallowing the glob of cryo inhalant in my mouth. It was distasteful. But as officers always said: "_Just grin and bear it_."

Climbing out of the tube, my legs moved me as my bare feet lead them to the dressing room. It was empty, and as I groggily opened the locker that my utilities were in. I pulled on a pair of shorts, and slid my feet into a pair of boots. I lifted my knee and rested my chest on my knee as I tied the shoe-laces of the boots tightly.

There was still three more hours before both ships would exit the Slipspace, but I had requested the computer wake me up this early so I could get a workout filled in before the ships returned to normal space.

Running my hand through my half a centimeter thick hair, I scowled. It had grown since I climbed into the cryo tube and I believed that even though the cryo tubes kept people from aging, it didn't stop hair from growing at a faster rate.

I swung the locker close, making a loud slam, before I headed for the gym alone. The gym was cylindrical, and there were free weights, punching and speed bags, elliptical trainers, and a whole lot of other machines that could stretch and tone any muscle. The gym otherwise was empty, and I had it to myself. Although it's safe to workout with a partner, I went against protocols and headed for the high-gravity free weights.

After a grueling workout of bench pressing the free weights, I headed for the leg machine and worked out there, before heading for the punching bag.

When I nearly finished with my leg workout, Sergeant Major 'Ox' Morgan walked into the gym an hour after I had been in there. Although he wasn't a SPARTAN, he could've passed for one. He was heavily muscled, lean and fit. He stood almost at two meters tall, and somehow the cryo-sleep hadn't lengthened his hair, for it reflected the overhead lights. There was a massive scar that stretched from his knuckle all the way to his underarm, from a fight with a Brute. He had come out victor in the end, with his right arm bone shattered in different places from a Gravity Hammer the Brute had used.

"Sir," Ox Morgan saluted.

"At ease," I replied, returning the salute while lifting the weights with my leg.

Morgan went to the speed bag and began there.

"So, Lieutenant," he said, his fists moving rapidly, "are we going down first?"

"It's unconfirmed," I replied. "But I willing to bet that we will be."

"Yes, sir."

We continued our workout, and Morgan held the punching bag while I punched it, after which I spotted him on the high-gravity free weights. That's when I noticed the tattoo on his left arm. It was definitely a Chinese symbol, and it was beside a oval.

"That's the first time I've seen that tattoo. Is it new?" I asked.

"Yeah," Morgan grunted, lifting the bar. "There's this Chinese tattoo designer onboard, and he did it for me."

"What's it mean?"

"'Bad-ass.'" He replied.

After we finished the workout, we headed for the public showers. The corridors of the _Flotsam_ were getting more crowded with ship personnel and other people. We passed three other members of the 242nd Division. There were seventeen ODSTs—including myself—in 242nd, and each one was proud to be in it.

The public showers weren't as crowded as I thought it would be. After the shower I took a razor and shaved the half a centimeter hairs off my head.

As I was getting into my uniform, black fatigues, Adam, the ship's AI appeared. He was had the image of a lithe man.

"First Lieutenant Downs," Adam said, his voice a high pitch. "Captain Williams has requested that you and your team assemble on the bridge, ASAP, for a briefing report."

"Adam," I said, as I tied my boots over the hems of my pants. "What's the ETA of our destination."

"Approximately forty-three minutes, seventeen point nine eight two seconds," the technical AI construct said.

I rolled my eyes. "You know,"—I picked up my cap and placed it on my head—"you could've just said, 'Forty-three minutes.'"

"But you asked—"

"Tell Captain Williams I'm on my way," I said before heading towards the hatch that led out of the room.

"Yes, sir," Adam flickered out.

Heading down the corridors towards the bridge, I came to a hatch were two maintenance workers were working on it. The panel had been damaged, and the two were bickering over what caused it. Assertively I grabbed one by the collar, held up him up, and forcefully said: "Just get this goddamned hatch open right now, or I'll use your head to bash it open."

My intimidation worked as the man I grappled went from scared all the way to near death. "Aye-aye, sir!" he saluted, his hand trembling with fear.

"Right away, sir!" the other saluted as well.

A minute passed before the hatch slid open, they saluted, and I went through without thanking them. Just before the hatch closed all the way, I heard one mutter: "Bastard."

The corridors of the _Flotsam_ were long, and at many times had intersections. As I went through an intersection, I met up with two ODSTs, Corporal Axel Mikhail and the Elite, Jael'rikk. The two were talking in whispers.

Corporal Mikhail was African-American, and for some reason had grown fond of a goatee. It was short, but without doubt, it was there on his chin. He and I had about the same body frame, and nearly stood at the same high, one and a half meters. Jael'rikk, who had joined 242nd weeks after the Elites had joined the UNSC, wore specially made black body armor to match our own. He stood over two and a half meters tall, and was as strong as a SPARTAN. Most of the members in 242nd got along with Jael'rikk, and likewise he got along with them. There was one ODST that didn't get along with him and that was First Private Andy Jenkins, the younger brother of Private Wallace Jenkins who was reported as the first Flood infected marine. Attached to his side, Jael'rikk fancied a Energy Sword.

"Sir!" they said at the same time, saluting me.

"At ease," I said, walking past them towards an open hatch. "Head down to Hanger Bay B17, and await orders."

"Sir, yes, sir!" they snapped off another salute and walked down to the right corridor.

I proceeded forward, toward the bridge. I came to a flight of stairs that would lead right into the bridge and walked up them. Inside the bridge, there were several computers manned by Navy personal. Sitting in the Captain's seat was Captain Tobias Williams. The man was in his mid-thirties, and was smaller than me. When I walked in, Adam alerted the entire bridge of my presence.

Captain Williams turned and looked at me and stood.

"Sir!" I said saluting. "Here as ordered."

Williams snapped a salute back. "At ease, Lieutenant."

I lowered my hand and walked up to the Captain.

"Lieutenant Downs, I've been waiting for a long time to find this Installation, and now today we've done it. In approximately 0030 hours we'll be reaching it, and as soon as we exit Slipstream, I want your team to be ready to make a drop." He paused.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

The tone in his voice confirmed my suspicions. "Well, the HEVs aren't working properly."

"So what's that leave us?"

"Armed Assault Boats."

I began to protest.

"Lieutenant—I'm sorry. It's the only thing we have next to Pelicans. And I know about your feelings toward those."

Scoffing, I put my hands on my hips. "The feeling for both of them is mutual."

"If you won't go down, then I'll send down marines, and possibly to their death. Helljumpers aren't afraid to jump feet first into battle."

"Fine. We'll do it."

"Good," Captain Williams seemed pleased. "When your team makes the landing, secure a location for a Pelican drop party. We're going to hit this Installation quick, and hard."

There was silence. Then I asked: "That's all, huh? No shit?"

"None whatsoever."

"Sounds too easy. And I don't like the easy way out."

"The AAB is in Hanger Bay M09. I'll get Adam to tell your team to meet there."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir!" I snapped off a salute as did the Captain. I turned and walked out of the bridge, and began the long walk to Hanger Bay M09.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**0630 Hours, April 23, 2554 (Military Calendar)/**

**Slipstream Space – Aboard the UNSC Flotsam**

**Unknown Coordinates near Taut Nui System**

**Sergeant Major "Ox" Morgan**

Adam appeared to us while we were packing stuff aboard the Human Entry Vehicles. He told us to report to Hanger Bay M09 where we would be filled in with more details from the Lieutenant.

"What's up?" Private First Class Andy Jenkins asked, emerging from one of the HEVs. "What did the AI say?"

"We're to meet at Hanger Bay M09," I said, turning to go out of the closed blast door. "Let's go, ODSTs."

"Hanger Bay M09?" Gunnery Sergeant Julian Mackenzie asked. "That hanger contains an AAB."

I stopped. _An Armed Assault Boat? Something was up. ODSTs use HEVs after UNSC said they were inefficient._ "Well, let's go there anyway. There must be a reason for it."

When we reached Hanger Bay M09, First Class Lieutenant Jakob Downs was already there, loading the one and only ship in the hanger—the lone Armed Assault Boat. All of the ODSTs stopped and stared at the ship.

"What the hell is that?" Jenkins asked.

"This," Lieutenant Downs said, setting down a weapon crate of M90 shotguns down. "Is an Armed Assault Boat. The older version of the drop ship for the ODSTs."

"You have got to be kiddin' me, sir."

"No. So grab a crate and start loading this piece of junk up before we exit Slipspace in… approximately—"

"Ten," Adam interrupted Downs. "Point seven seconds."

"ADAM! Get the hell out of here before I scramble your codes and electronics, then fry them with my gun."

The AI left, and we loaded the AAB.

The shipwide PA went off almost as soon as we finished loading the dropship. "Leaving Slipspace in five seconds. Five… four… three… two… one."

_Flotsam _and _Jetsam_ went into normal space, directly above the ring-shaped structure that was partially completed, except at the top where fractions of the Halo were missing. It orbited the red-gaseous planet, Ember, still and silent in space. We climbed into the boat and strapped ourselves into the jumpseats. It's been far too long since I've been in an Armed Assault Boat.

Our co-pilot looked back at the aisle and announced: "I just got the order from the Captain to dust off as soon as you're ready, sir!"

Downs nodded. "Punch it and get us down to that Halo now."

"Aye, sir!"

The hatch into the cockpit closed and we were left inside a small aisle, with every seat taken, with Jael'rikk taking two seats. He looked very uncomfortable.

"How stable is this vehicle?" he asked aloud.

Sergeant Samuel Stephens replied. "It's as stable as an easily skittered horse."

All five Privates First Classes began cursing, as they had never ridden in an Armed Assault Boat before, and were used to the HEVs. The Sergeant wasn't entirely wrong about the Armed Assault Boat. They were slow, hard to maneuver, and easy targets for SAMs and other surface-to-air weaponry. I noticed that the Lieutenant was calm, so I followed his example and relaxed. If he wasn't stressing out about the mission, then there was nothing to worry about.

We came up on Forerunner structure quickly, and the Armed Assault Boat began shaking when it entered the ring's atmosphere.

"We're coming up quickly, sir, deploying stabilizers," the co-pilot's voice came over my helmet's speakers. The others heard it as well, in their helmets. There was a loud screech, and the Armed Assault Boat slowed down, and stopped shaking. "There!" the co-pilot announced. "That wasn't that bad—"

He spoke to soon, for no sooner had he spoken, there was a loud crash and the boat began picking up speed and shaking.

"Something hit us, sir!" the co-pilot cried. "Starboard side's been hit and burning up! Impact in ten seconds!"

I braced myself for the crash. What else could I do?

"Initiating landing gears!" the pilot came on over channel. "It's gonna be a rough landing! Walker, out!"

There was another explosion and the Armed Assault Boat spun out of control. I held on tightly to the straps that held me bound to the jumpseat and counted to five. Then ten. Then twenty. The impact never came, and the Armed Assault Boat stopped spinning and slowed down. I looked around at everyone. They wondered the same thing that I did. _What happened? Did the pilot get the boat stabilized?_ No. _He said that the stabilizers had been destroyed._

The gateway opened and showed a dark exit. I unstraped myself and got up, unclipping a MA5W Assault Rifle, the newest weapon made by the UNSC. It looked like the MA5B Assault Rifle, but had enhanced upgrades to it, including a grenade launcher at the top. Sergeant Margaret Rey and Corporal Norman Rockwell joined me and we hopped out of the Armed Assault Boat while everyone stayed behind. We were inside a type of building, with cement pillars five meters high, that lined up and went down in the building for as far as I could see. The only light came from the fires that had erupted on the Armed Assault Boat. I heard the faint sound of water dripping into a puddle.

"Clear," I said into the team's channel. Sixteen green lights flashed in my HUD to show that everyone heard. "Let's move out, a meter apart."

Everyone got out of the Armed Assault Boat carrying equipment. Someone checked the cockpit and found both the pilot and co-pilot dead. Their faces torn by shards of glass. We evacuated the area, before anyone or anything showed up. But not before we rigged the entire place with HASTE mines.

We planted them on pillars and inside the Armed Assault Boat. The HASTE mines contained half a megaton of explosives and were strong enough destroy a Covenant Wraith, and were completely 'safe'.

Ten minutes after we evacuated the Armed Assault Boat there was a deafening explosion inside the big structure we were in. There was a blinding light that came from the direction of the Armed Assault Boat that seemed to swallow everything in its path before disappearing into darkness. Now we were in complete darkness.

We turned our lights on our MA6Ws in intervals to keep light on. After every four minutes four lights would flicker on and four lights would flicker out and recharge. There were seventeen people, but Corporal Axel Mikhail carried a S2 AM sniper rifle. There was nothing but emptiness in the structure we were in. But we finally reached a flight of stairs that went up five meters and came to a hatch that was horizontal.

The hatch was locked and we blew it out, and light flooded through the open hatch making a patch of light on the ground.

Sergeant Major Robert Perkins suggested he go and look through the hatch first, just in case. The soldier climbed up the ladder and popped his head into the hole.

"Holy shit!" he called out to us. "You won't believe what's up here."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**1000 Hours, April 23, 2554 (Military Calendar)/**

**Taut Nui System – On Epsilon Halo**

**First Class Lieutenant Jakob Downs**

"What is it, Sarge?" I asked, stepping closer to the ladder. "What's up there?"

Sergeant Major Robert Perkins, had volunteered himself to go look out of the hatch that we blew up. The larger soldier climbed up a ladder and looked through the hole. He climbed through without answering my question.

I proceeded to climb up the ladder, to follow Perkins up there. But Gunnery Sergeant Julian Mackenzie stopped me by placing his hand on my shoulder and hopped onto the ladder, and pulled himself up through the hatch.

"I don't believe it…" Mackenzie said in amazement, and then two seconds later, he called down: "It's okay, get up here everyone." Then like Perkins said, Mackenzie said, "Hurry, you won't believe it!"

We proceeded out of the hatch cautiously, not knowing what we would see. When I got out, Amber, the red planet that Epsilon Halo was orbiting looked like a massive asteroid that would utterly destroy the ring—which, thousands of years ago, might've wiped out the species that once dominated Earth. The species that now lived on this Installation. In front of us was a herd of eight leathery brown skinned Brontosaurus' eating from tall leafy trees. Sergeant Major Ox Morgan let the cigarette that was in his mouth drop onto the green grass.

A loud screech pierced the air and when we looked we saw a 'flock' (if you would call it that) of Pterodactyls.

Ox Morgan scratched his helmet and stamped out the cigarette. "I don't believe it myself," he muttered.

The largest Brontosaurus bellowed loudly, and began walking away from us. The other seven Brontosaurus' followed it and they climbed into a large lake.

"It's like a real-life Jurassic Park," Private First Class Andrew Matthew's cried happily. "There are real-life dinosaurs!"

Somehow the long lost dinosaurs had been preserved by Forerunners and brought to Epsilon Halo. It seemed every species of dinosaurs was there… including the T-rex—which we found two hours after we had contacted the _Flotsam _and _Jetsam_ to send down the marines.

"RUN!" Sergeant Eugene Carter (who had taken point) shouted, running out of a forest, towards us and in mid-run turned to fire behind him without looking. "T-REX!"

Somehow I knew that the 'King of the Lizards' was on this ring, but it hadn't clicked until that point. Adrenaline pumped into everyone's body as we took up defensive positions. I slammed a new magazine of shredding rounds into my MA5W, and looked ahead. While sitting beside me, Private First Class Jared Lanning shoved a frag grenade into the grenade launcher on the top of his MA5W. He looked at me, and although I couldn't see his face, I could tell the Private was scared as hell.

"Just keep that gun steady when you fire that M9, Lanning," I said calmly, even though inside I was scared too.

The Tyrannosaurus-Rex crashed through the forest, causing several trees to splinter and crash in its wake.

I gave the order to shoot, and at that moment, an assault of over one hundred bullets and two M9 frag grenades struck the towering dinosaur. Large blotches of blood covered the ground, along with the T-rex's rough skin. It crumbled to the floor, rolling ten feet after it fell. It landed on its stomach and blood flowed to the dusty floor. We waited five seconds, then Carter stood up and went over to it. He kicked it in the head, then blasted it's brains out with a M90 shotgun.

"HA!" he shouted victoriously. "Even dinos don't have the brains to know not to go up against ODSTs!"

"Sergeant, that's enough," Ox Morgan said, as we surrounded the dead monster. "Five Pelicans are inbound, full of marines and scientists, who will be investigating this ring. UNSC think that we might be able to sneak off Epsilon with a couple of eggs and bring them to Earth."

"We're gonna bring Dinosaurs back, huh?" a ODST asked, who had the words PFC Black on his helmet. "And I thought we were supposed to destroy this ring."

"We are," I replied. "That way the Covenant won't use it to destroy Earth. They won't care about the Dinosaurs and whether they live or not. However we do. If we capture some dinos, then we might learn about the prehistoric life that still eludes scientists today."

Five Pelicans flew overhead, each one carrying an M12 Warthog Light Reconnaissance Vehicle.

"Two-hundred and forty-second ODST team," a pilot said over my COM in my helmet. "This is Charlie Team Bravo with five Pelican's inbound. Give us your position and we'll land, over."

"Copy that, Charlie Team," I said, taking a smoke grenade and lighting it. "Position marked by the red smoke." I tossed the grenade to the ground.

There was a pause on the COM that was filled with static then" "Aye-aye, sir," the pilot said. "I see your position. We're coming in!"

The five Pelicans landed in the vast valley, detaching the Warthogs and deploying marines and scientists. They took a minute to take in the scene, and then we all pitched in and set up a base. The Pelicans stayed behind, and we built the base around them. The first day, it was a small compound which included two barracks, a weapons warehouse and a bared fence that surrounded the entire base. Although the buildings were scanty, we could store our weapons and other equipment inside.

A week after we had landed on Epsilon Halo, the scientists had ten live eggs, and were studying them inside one of the new R&D buildings that we built later that week. They kept saying things like: "Amazing," "Spectacular," or "I've never seen anything like it before!" And it was amazing. Blood samples and other things began filling up the second warehouse we built.

We only had a little trouble with the local residents. Several raptors invaded the compound and only wounded one marine—which meant we had to set up a medic tent. There was fifty marines total, fifteen scientists, four medics, my 16 ODSTs and myself, a grand total of eighty-six UNSC personnel.

A week after we got there it rained for the first time, I was called to come to the barracks. When I walked in, boots caked in mud, uniform nearly soaked to the skin, I was surprised to see Captain Tobias Williams.

"Sir!" I saluted, and became stiff as a board.

He saluted back. "At ease, marine."

My hand fell to my side. "Permission to ask a question, sir."

"Permission granted."

I crossed the room and came up to him. "Why are you here, sir?"

"I wanted to see what everyone in the galaxy has been talking about ever since we told the media about the re-discovery of the Dinosaurs. It's incredible to see these monsters alive… I never thought that I'd ever see them," he laughed at the incredulous saying.

I laughed with the Captain. "Me neither, sir."

Suddenly we heard a marine shout outside. My head jerked around, alerted to the noise.

"WE GOT CONTACTS!" the marine shout. "Four of them!"

My hand darted to my waist and I pulled out my sidearm, a M6D pistol. "Get cover, sir!" I shouted to Captain Williams as I ran outside, back into the rain.

A Pelican was dusting off and a strobe light searched outside of the compound. I saw the light hit something. It was big and deformed, with tentacle like limbs sticking out of its shoulder. The thing resembled a Tyrannosaurus-Rex. But it wasn't just a normal T-rex because this T-rex was infested with an infectious species that are called the Flood.

I heard a loud roaring bellow, and the strobe light turned to the place where the sound came from.

There were four infected Tyrannosaurus-Rexes charging straight at the compound.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**1950 Hours, May 2, 2554 (Military Calendar)/**

**Taut Nui System – On Epsilon Halo**

**Corporal Axel Mikhail**

After First Class Lieutenant Jakob Downs had gone into the barracks I heard some rumbling in the forest next to the compound. I was in a pillbox outside of the compound, and I picked up my S2 AM sniper rifle and scanned the area with the night vision mode.

I saw something move in the trees, or more correctly, I saw five trees collapse inside the forest. Scrabbling to get a COM request to the compound, all I heard was static.

Finally a marine finally picked up. "'Ello, how are blue?" he asked casually.

"We have a ThreatCon Bravo," I said shouting into the COM. "Something _big_ is headed this way."

The marine straightened up. "ThreatCon Bravo?" he exclaimed. "Are you sure?"

"Affirmative; get a Pelican up and scanning the area."

The COM went static for a second, then the marine answered. "Right away, sir."

ThreatCon Bravo meant there haves been an increase and more predictable threat of activity even though no particular target had been identified. I continued to watch the area with my S2 AM when a distorted Tyrannosaurus Rex burst through the trees and moved it's head back and forth as if scanning the area.

"Pelican is prepped and ready," the marine came back over the COM.

I was silent for five seconds, and then I replied. "Contact made. The situation is now… ThreatCon Delta."

Behind me, the klaxon went off, alerting the camp to get into position for an attack. The T-rex was alerted as well and it glared at the direction of the compound. It gave a horrifying roar, and I felt the ground tremble as if there was an earthquake occurring. Three more T-rex's burst from the trees just as the Pelican rose from the camp.

"Shit," was all I could say.

The dinosaurs charged forward in unison. All of them had been infected by something that had deformed them. I didn't have to aim to shoot them. I exhausted a clip as fast as I could. An ODST beside me in the pillbox with the lettering P1C Mann on his helmet reloaded his MA5W.

"Just keep firing, Private!" I shouted.

One of the T-rex's stomped on top of the pillbox, no doubt unintentionally, and it's foot crashed through the top, causing it to trip. I drew the K-bar that was on my hip, and stabbed the clawed foot.

The T-rex roared as it tried to get back up.

Mann stood up and rushed to it's head and unloaded a clip into its head. Tentacles lashed out from the T-rex's shoulder and struck Mann so he fell backward. The tentacles stopped moving when the T-rex's brain cells finally stopped working.

Standing up and brushing the mud off his body armor, Mann looked at me.

"What is this thing?"

"There's no time to answer that, Private."

There wasn't any time. The T-rex's had reached the barbed wire fence, and the sound of several M12 Warthog automatic armament weapons were heard. The Pelican circled the T-rex's at a distance, a search light following them the best it could.

A second thud meant a second T-rex had been felled, only to be followed by the sound of a man screaming in pain and no sooner had he began screaming was suddenly silent.

First Class Private Mann and I ran double-time to the compound, to see one of the barracks in flames. The two remaining T-rexes were tossing bodies around, and taking serious rounds to the chest. Greenish-brown colored blood covered the ground, as the T-rexes charged on, destroying everything in their path.

A UNSC marine called out for a medic as we passed him. No sooner had he called for help, a medic ran by us, carrying a med kit underneath his arm. The swish of a 102-mm HEAT rocket echoed through the air, and the head of a T-rex exploded; blood, guts, and brains splattered on nearly everyone.

The last T-rex charged in the direction of the marine who had launched the M19 SSM (SPNKr) rocket launcher, as the marine prepared to fire the second rocket. The T-rex was on top of him and chopping down on him, when he fired the second rocket.

He knew he was a dead man; the marine fired the rocket inside of the T-rex's mouth. The T-rex was fried, and the marine was toasted. When we recovered the SPNKr rocket launcher, all that remained was a piece of twisted metal.

Rain continued to fall through the night as we gathered in the largest barracks. Captain Tobias Williams and First Class Lieutenant Downs told us of the new situation; the Flood had somehow escaped from the Library, a complex in the center of Epsilon Halo, and had reached the surface and now endangered the dinosaurs and us. The scientists were putting their research and rescued eggs into Pelicans and were going to be evacuated while the marines and ODSTs were gong to go to the stomach of Epsilon Halo and destroy it, with everything that we had.

Captain Williams boarded one of the four remaining Pelicans—one had been destroyed during the fight with the T-rex's—and they took off, back to the _Flotsam_ and _Jetsam_. As many UNSC marines that could fit into the vehicles, jumped onto the five Warthogs and scouted the area, with the objective to find an entrance to the Halo and not alert themselves to any dangerous dinosaurs or Flood.

First Class Lieutenant Downs lead us on foot in the direction that the UNSC marines went. It would take us longer to get to the entrance than the marines.

The next morning the marines finally called us and told us they had found an entrance. Their location was sent to our HUDs, and by noonday we arrived at the massive cave-like mouth. Five Warthogs, thirteen marines, and two medics waited for us. In the end there was a head count of seventeen ODSTs, five medics, and forty-seven marines—two had died during the conflict with the T-rex's, while the previously injured one had been taken on the Pelicans. We had plenty of ammunition for all of our weapons, and everyone was equipped with at least two firearms. Every medic carried a M6D on their hips.

We entered the entrance, not knowing that we were going into the Devil's mouth, down into Hell itself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**: Sorry everyone for such a long wait for this chapter. I thought this was already up and I recently just noticed that it wasn't. Thanks for reading, and prepare for exciting chapters in the near future.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**1308 Hours, May 3, 2554 (Military Calendar)/**

**Taut Nui System – Inside of Epsilon Halo**

**Sergeant Major "OX" Morgan**

We hadn't gone ten minutes into one of the many entrances of Epsilon Halo when we opened a massive door that showed a large hanger. There were two bridges that stretched across a massive chasm. After we went through the door it closed behind us.

Inside the hanger were the bodies of long dead Covenant soldiers. Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts were strewn everywhere, their insides gutted out of them and dried. The sight was sickening, even though it was the enemy.

"What the hell happened here?" an ODST asked, kicking a Brute's helmet over the edge and down into the dark void.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "But whatever it was, it wiped out an entire Covenant army.

Making sure we weren't trapped, a UNSC marine with the letters SGT Gordon on his helmet tapped a control panel that reopened the door.

"Just being careful," Gordon muttered as the door opened.

"Let's move on," Captain Reimer, the commander of the group, said.

The five M12 Warthog's drove forward, each one holding its maximum limit of passengers. We reached the other side of the two bridges when a UNSC marine suddenly ordered us to stop. He gripped his gun and looked around. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

Everyone stopped and listened. Faintly somewhere in the hanger was the sound of something plunking and more than one something moving overhead. The lights on our MA5Ws and other weapons couldn't see the ceiling of the building.

"Steady," Reimer ordered. "Don't fire unless you see something."

He gave the order to a marine to open the next door. The marine with shaky fingers tapped the panel and the door opened.

"Move forward," Reimer turned.

The Warthogs drove on through the door as we continued behind them.

The sound of an automatic weapon echoed behind me as I saw something drop from the ceiling to one of the bridges.

"We're under attack!" a marine cried out.

I ran back to the hanger and saw Flood falling from the ceiling, dropping down on the marines that were in the back of our team.

"Get in here!" a marine shouted, shooting the panel in the hanger room that would open the door we had gone through, then pressed the panel past the door so the doors began closing.

There were still a dozen more marines and a ODST behind the closing door.

"What the fuck do you think you're thinking?!" I shouted at the marine.

"I'm stopping the enemy from getting us!" he replied.

"We still have men behind that door!"

The door was almost all the way closed, as three marines got through.

"If they want to live, then they'll make it through, otherwise, they're goners."

"You're abandoning your own men and one of my own"—I checked his ranking; he was a Petty Officer First Class. I had a higher authority over him—"_Petty Officer_."

Two marines dove through the closing door before it snapped closed and locked. The other seven marines and the ODST were locked in with those Flood monsters. I heard gunfire and explosions before all was quiet except for the faint noise of occasional hitting on the two foot thick solid door.

"I will have you court-martialed, when we're done… marine," I said firmly and fiercely.

"Sue me," he challenged.

I punched him.

"Let's keep going," the Captain ordered, ignoring our little fight. "If those monsters get through, it'll be too tight in here."

First Class Lieutenant Jakob Downs ordered us together so he could find out which ODST had not made it through the door. Tragically it was Lance Corporal Vince Gurrini, our demolitions officer. Those explosions were most likely him going kamikaze on the Flood, without a doubt killing him and the other marines, along with a hundred Flood. He ordered us to be prepared for anything.

When continued through the corridors, shining our lights around the dimly lit walls, which were illuminated by strange glowing round symbols that covered the walls. We came into another large hangar room—where the Flood was waiting.

There were dozens of infected Covenant soldiers, carrying plasma weapons. They were in a strong phalanx formation for about fifty feet. Jackals were in the front, their energy shields overlapping each other. Elites crouched behind them, with their swords poking out between the holes in the shield barrier. The Grunts were somewhere behind the blockade, but I couldn't see them.

The Flood held their position, as if taunting us to take the first shot; which we did, after we got into a position to match theirs. With the five Warthogs, we made a make-shift wall. The marines that stood on the back of the Warthogs aimed the mounted guns at the Flood wall.

Everyone else took a position behind the Warthogs the best they could. Captain Reimer gave the order for us to fire.

In a split second plasma and lead filled the air. The Jackal Flood defected our shots, while the Grunts behind them fired off plasma. The Warthogs didn't fare well against the fire hot plasma that began to melt the body.

A gunner fell down from his position on the mounted gun, collapsing on the ground next to me. A second marine climbed up on the gun and took the previous marine's job.

Several marines were ordered to use M7057/Defoliant Projectors, or simply the flamethrowers.

We provided them cover by lobbing frag grenades over the Flood's heads, which exploded. The marines with flamethrowers moved back and forth, setting the infested Jackals on fire and they tried pulling back, which effectively caught more of the Flood on fire.

Then something happened we hadn't planned on.

Two dozen infected Brutes that were infected jumped out on us behind the Warthogs. We hadn't even seen them.

The Warthog furthest from me exploded, sending marines flying head over heels behind the Flood ranks. The Warthog beside that one flipped over from the blast.

Those Brutes carried Brute shots, Spikers, and one fancied a gravity hammer, and they mowed our forces quicker than a weed whacker does to a blade of grass.

Some marines tried to retreat the way we came from. But the door had locked itself. There was no way out but by going forward—which is what we Helljumpers do best. Captain Reimer ordered the ODSTs to charge forward into the blockade of burning Flood and clear the way out.


End file.
